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A personal treasure discovered inside tin mug at Auschwitz exhibition

Employees of the Auschwitz Museum discovered a double bottom in a metal mug inside which jewellery was hidden. They were conducting routine preservation works on objects stolen by German Nazis from people arriving at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp. Experts say that the double bottom was well hidden and nobody suspected its existence, yet due to the passed time it has degraded and fallen off.

Finds from the mug with a double den, visible to the right (by TVN24)

The double bottom of the mug revealed jewellery wrapped carefully in a piece of cloth and covered by a round piece cut out of a box of sweets manufactured by Goplana – a brand existing until present. The jewellery consists of a golden ring and a chain wrapped in a piece of cloth.

Golden ring (by TVN24)

Both the ring and the chain carry hallmarks for 583 gold that was put on golden objects manufactured in Poland between 1921-1931. The Museum conducted XRF and RTG analysis that confirmed the fineness and discovered presence of additional metals such as copper, gold and silver.

Finds from the mug (by TVN24)

German Nazis allowed their victims to bring small luggage into transport, knowing that people would bring precious items with them into concentration camps. Some of the victims took precautions by hiding the jewellery, as the case of the metal mug shows.

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